ABOUT US

Rusty Burlingame PT, MS, graduated with a master’s in physical therapy from Boston University in 1999. He moved to Alaska directly after school and has worked since that time in outpatient orthopedics. Rusty has training in advanced manual therapy techniques through the Ola Grimsby Institute. He uses a variety of manual skills to take his patients out of pain and back to function. He spends his time off hunting and fishing all over the great state of Alaska.

Heather D. Wengler, PT, DPT, MPT, CCI, graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical Center with her Master of Physical Therapy in 2002 and went on to finish her Doctor of Physical Therapy in 2005. In 2005, she became a credentialed clinical instructor with the American Physical Therapy Association. Current and past work experiences involve the evaluation, consultation, treatment planning, and education of patients with neurologic injuries including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, and progressive neurologic disorders. These work experiences have been across the treatment spectrum to include acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, intensive outpatient day program, and traditional outpatient physical therapy settings.
While working at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, NE, Dr. Wengler helped to establish a therapy-based Adaptive Sports and Recreation Program. Additionally she served as the Amputee Program Leader and was an advisor to Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) to establish criteria for the initial development of the Amputee Specialty Accreditation.

She has worked with William Beaumont Army Medical Center (WBAMC), Ft. Bliss, TX to establish the physical therapy portion of the Traumatic Brain Injury Program and was the lead Physical Therapist for the Traumatic Brain Injury Team at WBAMC from 2009 to early 2012. She has additional training with manual therapy with orthopedic patients or neurologic patients with orthopedic concerns. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), APTA Neurology Section, Vestibular Special Interest Group, and the Alaska Physical Therapy Association. Specialties include vestibular rehabilitation, Bioness L300 certified fitter, video electronystagmography (VNG/ENG), and dynamic posturography.

In her spare time, she enjoys activities with her husband and two sons, reading mysteries, and watching football and following the Nebraska Huskers. She is hoping to start quilting more this winter.

Pamela Burlingame PT, MS, graduated with her master’s degree in physical therapy in 1999 from Boston University. She primarily focuses on patients with central neurological disorders and enjoys working with all ages of clients, newborn to geriatric. Pam enjoys taking a functional approach with each patient and strives to maximize their independence. She loves the variety in her job and her ability to make life-changing improvements in each of her patients’ lives.

Pam grew up in Fairbanks and spends her free time with her family and friends enjoying Alaska’s culture and vast outdoors. She is passionate about dance and is the director for the company EnLiven based out of Sonja’s Studio of Dance in Wasilla.

Mary Olsen, PT, DPT Came to Alaska with her family in 1997. She received her degree in Physical Therapy from University of Maryland School of Medicine where she was privileged to study under the mentorship of the late Florence P. Kendall, one of the country’s most influential physical therapists and educators. Mary has a commitment to professional development and lifelong learning. She recently received her degree as a Doctor of Physical Therapy from The College of St Scholastica in Duluth, MN. Mary is certified in vestibular rehabilitation by the American Institute of Balance. She has extensive training as an orthopedic manual therapist, is a certified Strain Counterstain practitioner and is an advanced myofascial release practitioner. She is a member of the Alaska Physical Therapy Association, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and APTA Orthopedic Section. She has practiced physical therapy for more than 30 years in outpatient orthopedics, chronic pain, vestibular rehabilitation, and women’s health.
Mary is a caring practitioner who is passionate about helping her patients achieve their goals to maximize function and mobility. She works individually with her patients for forty-five minutes to an hour in each treatment session. Because Mary is committed to excellence in the practice of physical therapy, her treatment approach is evidenced-based. She sets aside several hours each week to study recent research articles, published in the professional literature.
Mary and her husband, Dale, enjoy the magnificent recreational activities in our beautiful state. She is a licensed single engine land and seaplane pilot. She and Dale also enjoy hiking, running, camping, fishing and hunting.

Teresa Gool, PT, MS, graduated with a Master of Physical Therapy from University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in 1997. Immediately after she headed for Alaska and started working in Eagle River prior to calling the Matsu Valley home. She has enjoyed seeing a variety of orthopedic and neurologic patients in her career, but her passion as a physical therapist is with manual therapy. With experience in employing various techniques (Mulligan, Strain Counterstrain, Craniosacral, John Barnes Myofascial Release, and Visceral/Abdominal Manipulation) to ease pain and increase her patients’ functional level, she appreciates Myofascial Release on a personal level and knows the power behind this hands-on approach.

She is also an artist, currently concentrating in mixed medium mosaics. Her other passions include biking, hiking, snowmachining, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, gardening, exploring Alaska, attending live theatrical performances, and hosting murder mystery dinner parties. She is always ready for the next adventure.

Jacob Arvidson PT, DPT, was born and raised in Eagle River, Alaska. He graduated with his doctorate of physical therapy from the University of Saint Augustine for Health Sciences in Florida in 2005 and joined Alyeska Physical Therapy in 2006. The Doctorate of Physical Therapy program at the University of Saint Augustine has an excellent reputation for their emphasis on manual therapy. In his free time Jacob enjoys spending time with his wife and children as well as fishing, hunting, camping, and woodworking.

Mandi Ehlers, MSPT, graduated with a Master’s of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Montana in 2003. She was born and raised in Alaska and returned to work here after school. Mandi has worked in a variety of settings including: home health therapy, aquatic therapy, vestibular therapy, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation. Her primary focus has been outpatient orthopedic therapy. Recently, Mandi has participated in craniosacral training and looks forward to incorporating this into her treatments. Mandi loves sports, photography, and all the recreational activities that Alaska provides.

Stephanie McCoy, PTA, has over 20 years of experience in physical therapy. She graduated from Colby Community College in Kansas in 1989. Stephanie has worked in a variety of settings including: outpatient orthopedics, early intervention, inpatient rehabilitation, home health, cardiac rehabilitation, and outpatient pediatrics. She loves working with young children and their families. Stephanie is an avid sports fan and enjoys biking and quilting.

Catherine Ohmann, PTA, graduated from Spokane Falls Community College in Washington in 2011 and has been working with Alyeska Therapy ever since. While her desire to improve lives started in pediatrics, her experience with orthopedic and neuromuscular patients has given her a passion to work alongside people of all ages, to decrease pain and improve mobility, to get you breathing and back to doing what you love. Catherine also loves to play guitar, go on road trips, hike mountains, and fish for salmon.

Kim Prayner, M.A., Au.D., CCC-A/SLP, has over 20 years of experience in the communication disorders field. Kim is a licensed and certified Audiologist after initially receiving her Master’s degree in Audiology from the University of North Carolina in 1994; she received her Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Northern Colorado in 2014. Kim earned her Doctoral degree in Audiology from the University of Florida in 2003. She is passionate about working with pediatric patients and finding ways to maximize their communication skills. Kim has worked in the hospital, private practice, school, acute care, and hearing aid manufacturing settings. She has a vast array of experience working with children who have apraxia, autism, cleft palate, cognitive disabilities, dysfluency/stuttering, hearing loss, non-verbal language, social skills deficits, and speech/language deficits. Kim is a member of the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA)’s Special Interest Group 1: Language, Learning, and Education and a member of ASHA’s Special Interest Group 12: Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Kim lived in Fairbanks for over 10 years before moving to Wasilla. She spends her free time with her family, kayaking, fishing, snowboarding, and enjoying the outdoors.

Erin Walker, M.S., CCC-SLP/L. graduated with her master’s in Speech-Language Pathology from Harding University in 2014. Erin enjoys working with children of all ages in feeding, swallowing, social communication, speech, and language. She also has experience in speech pathology in rehab, private clinic, and school settings where she worked with patients on cognition, swallowing, apraxia, aphasia, voice, language, speech, and selective mutism. With a bachelor’s in vocal music education and a certification in the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment for individuals with Parkinson’s disease, Erin enjoys working with pediatric and adult voice patients. While in school, she worked with special needs children in Scotland and taught English to ESL students from various countries. Erin also spent a summer in Russia working with voice patients and teaching English.